UPDATE March 3, 2021- On March 1, 2021, Matthew James Baker, 30, of Saint Leonard was sentenced to 2 years active incarceration at the Division of Corrections. As part of his sentence, Baker is prohibited from owning, possessing, or residing with any animal.
Baker entered a guilty plea back in November 2020 to felony aggravated animal cruelty for having chased the family cat into a bedroom at the home and beating it to death with a metal object.
Calvert County State’s Attorney, Robert Harvey, wishes to commend Assistant State’s Attorney Christopher Monte, Dep. James Sturdivant of the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office, Calvert County Animal Control, and Investigator Mike Moore of the State’s Attorney’s Office for their work on this case.
November 6, 2020: On November 6, 2020, Matthew James Baker entered a guilty plea to felony aggravated animal cruelty. The maximum penalty for the offense is 3 years imprisonment and a $5,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for January 20, 2021, at 11:00 am.
On April 23, 2020, Deputy Sturdivant and Deputy Plant of the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office responded to 1380 North Solomons Island Road for a report of animal cruelty. Upon arrival, deputies discovered a seven-month-old black and brown cat named “Rose” in a trash bag outside the property. The cat was nonresponsive and bleeding from the back of its head.
The cat was transported to Mid-Atlantic Animal Specialty Hospital where providers noted severe blunt force trauma consistent with the cat having been repeatedly beaten with a metal object. Due to the injuries sustained, the cat was humanely euthanized.
Further investigation revealed that Matthew James Baker had chased the cat into a bedroom at the home and beaten the cat to death.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant State’s Attorney, Christopher Monte.